3
Please note both models DSL201 and DSL401
are described together, any model variations are
indicated.
✪
User Hint - where you see text starting with
this sign, we have described some slight
technical paraphenalia in order for you to
understand what is going on inside your amp and
we hope will help you in creating the tone that is
best for you and your amp.
1. Input Jack
As most manuals state, plug your guitar in here.
✪
User Hint - Amusement aside, it is
worthwhile remembering that you should use a
high quality guitar lead to achieve optimum
performance. If you are unsure what constitutes
a high quality lead then most good music stores
should be able to give you good advice, but
remember, it may not be the cheapest one going!
It is also worth pointing out here that how an
amp sounds is VERY dependent on the type of
guitar you use. For instance, a guitar with
humbucker type pick-ups is not going to sound
as open and clean as one with single coil type
pick-ups, yet will provide that great mid range
bark that we are accustomed to for rock playing.
2. Clean Gain
This controls the preamp level of the clean
channel, at lower settings the sound will be very
clean and at higher settings the sound will start
to ‘Crunch’ up in a traditional blues sort of way.
In between, around midway, depending on what
type of guitar you are using, you will find some
great semi-clean/semi-crunch tones, just like
those great vintage amps that had minimal
features, but great tone.
✪
User Hint - there is a capacitor across the
gain control that brightens up the tone when set
to lower levels. This helps to ‘cut’ through at
low volumes and adds ‘twang’ to the tone. As
you bring up the gain control the effect of this
decreases and the tone becomes fatter. If you
Continuing with the features of your amp, both the DSL201 and 401 have two
totally independent, footswitchable channels, notably ‘Clean’ and ‘Overdrive’ which
cover the whole range of tones from sparkly clean, through classic and modern
‘Crunch’, through to super-saturated Lead Overdrive.
On top of this, the DSL401 offers a three channel option by having the ability to
(foot)switch between OD1 and OD2 - OD2 having even more gain than OD1 - in fact
a staggering 20dB more! Thus giving the ability to switch from great clean to
crunch and then to lead. Remember, the Clean channel not only does clean, it
crunches up in a great traditional way too, just turn it up and drop the apparent
output power (output master) down to a socially acceptable level.
Rounding out the features, your DSL201 or 401 also has a parallel FX loop with a
mix control and large spring ‘Sound Enhancements’ reverb, with footswitch facility
(DSL401 only).
It is important to mention here that your DSL201 or DSL401 use EL84 output
valves, as opposed to either the 5881/6L6 or EL34 valves used in bigger Marshall
amps. The EL84 is the classic output valve for smaller British style amps (and some
U.S. ones too) and is a great valve to achieve superb tone at lower power levels.
Normally they are used in a very simple circuit that features no negative feedback
and are run in the cathode biased mode which gets close to them being run in class
A, which makes for a very squashy compressed tone, as typified in the VOX AC30
for instance. Whilst this mode is great for these classic amps, we felt that this
simple operating mode limited the amount of versatility required from an amp as
diverse as the DSL201 & 401, in this modern age. Therefore, after careful study of
how these classic amps worked and how the bigger Marshall’s worked, a fresh
design that covers a broader spectrum of tones has been incorporated into the
DSL201 and 401. We feel that it does it with great style.
DSL201 & DSL401 Front Panel Features (pages 32 & 34)
